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Marino leads a low-money affair in the 10th

The Republican primary to take on Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) has emerged as a decidedly small-dollar game.

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino led his two primary opponents in campaign cash at the end of last month, raising about $37,000 in April and finishing the pre-primary reporting period with less than $56,000 in the bank, according to campaign finance data. But Marino also has about $22,000 in campaign debt, stemming from bills he still has to pay development of his Web site and production of yard signs.

Meanwhile, Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira had a relatively strong period in his own right, just surpassing his goal of $28,000 collected in 28 days. He had just under $24,000 on hand. And Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk brought up the rear, raising about $5,000 and finishing the period almost $12,000 on hand.

With less than two weeks before primary day, it seems increasingly likely that any paid media efforts by the candidates will be contained to direct mail and radio, with TV likely out of the question. In a primary that the party has largely allowed to play out, Marino is perceived by many to be the front-runner because of greater name recognition from his days as a prosecutor. But Madeira has made inroads with the conservative grassroots and Derk has stitched together a solid coalition of local party support.

The incumbent Carney raised another $43,000 during the period, and finished with almost $686,000 on hand in the cheap media market. The district is currently ranked No. 7 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

May 7, 2010 at 1:02 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Chris Carney, David Madeira, Malcolm Derk, PA-10, Tom Marino

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